The newspaper will review the information and send out a custom link to allow school officials to enroll their school. The enrollment fee is $120 and is payable by check or credit card.

The fee provides schools with exclusive online access to a teachers-only section of spellingbee.com, official word lists, official pronunciation guides and a free one-year subscription to Britannica Online for Kids.

The winner will receive a trip to the National Spelling Bee. Included are transportation, hotel, and a prepaid Visa card to assist with the cost of meals for the student and one escort, compliments of the SJ-R.

Additional prizes for the regional winner include Websterís Third New International Dictionary and a one-year subscription to www.Merriam-WebsterUnabridged.com, compliments of Merriam-Webster Inc.

The Regional Spelling Bee is sponsored by the SJ-R in cooperation with the Sangamon County regional superintendent of schools.

Students competing in past years have come from Cass, Greene, Macoupin, Menard, Montgomery, Morgan, Sangamon and Scott counties.